So glad I came across your channel. Your passion is much like my own when it comes to TTRPGs and a self journey, and creativity. I learned about Solo TTRPGs this year while recovering from a major surgery. I wasn't just stuck in bed. I was moving to a valley and farming, or being a ronin wandering for revenge, and the dramas those unfolded. It allowed me to be creative in a way I missed. And when I recovered it then let me be creative with my art. It didn't have to be great, it just had to exist. And that whispers to experience to my other games I run/game in with others. Sometimes, maybe its good to just check in with yourself.
I'm glad you found it! :) And I love your sharing of your own experiences about creativity, expression and self-care. "It doesn't have to be great, it just has to exist". Pinned!
I got into soloing specifically because my friends are stuck on WotC D&D e5. There's just so much more out there! Learning the corebooks and systems, it's just as fun to me as writing characters and engaging with those systems in a player sense. The stale feeling isn't there for me anymore
I've come full circle myself. I started with B/X, and played and (mostly) ran everything from there to 5e. I played numerous other ttrpg's as well. Now, I find myself enjoying the original stuff far more than the most recent stuff. As a result, I now run OSE and find it far more enjoyable for me as a DM.
Some of the things you said hit me pretty hard. Especially the part about this sense of possibility - games nowadays tend to restrict their players with elaborate rulesets that govern what is and what isn't possible within the environment of the game. OSR games have none of that. It's either "use the logic of fiction" or "come up with the ruling on the fly". And this is so, so liberating! I know now I'm going to enjoy your content. Your style of presentation is very approachable, and you have many interesting things to say.
This was a really good video! Reminded me of when I got into RPGs back in the 80's with D&D Basic. My fondest memories are of D&D 2nd edition. I have really tried to get into D&D 5th edition, and I have not been successful, and it may be the same reason as yours. I've been researching OSE and even Shadowdark trying to pick something to play solo. I am unfortunately having a tough time deciding - I guess its fear of making a bad choice. I am also working on my own solo TTRPG (that will include group play as well), but it's not an easy task. Keep up the great work on the channel!
What a great thoughtful and heartfelt video. Having been playing, mostly DM'ing since the late 80's, I've felt everything you expressed. Happily, I still have a 25+ year 2E campaign still running. It often takes too long for people to realize that the only way to play the game is the way you and your players want...
@@steved1135 💯 on finding the right way for you and your players. Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. It makes me happy to hear that 2E is alive and well for you guys!
Can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Thought I was “outgrowing” D&D because I was getting so tired of 5e, turns out OSR is exactly what the game needs
I played my first session of D&D in 1979, yet I'm remembering that feeling as if it were yesterday at the moment. Thanks for that, and keep up the great content. :)
Just watched and really enjoyed your solo rpg journey video. This one also seems really interesting but the music makes my brain hurt while listening to you that I can't listen to this one. Especially when the music gets more intense at times. I'm aware I'm in a relatively small group of people with such sensitivities but I wanted to let you know. I'm any case seems like an intriguing video and I put in the like and will check out more of your videos. Thanks!
@@paavohirn3728 hey thanks for letting me know. Music sometimes can be a bit much for these kinds of things. I’ll consider doing some future videos with just dialogue.
@@the-quantum-quill Thanks! I know it can be a tricky thing. I know some can't handle any music in the background, I can usually handle it but for me I think it's a volume and intensity thing. I really like the style of presentation otherwise. I hope this was helpful!
Great video, spot on. I'm a Gen-X Olde Schoole RP'er, and that's how I've always enjoyed role-playing. However, I also recognize that there is no "One True Way" to play. As you say, the possibilities are limitless. Ironically, this was the in-built intent of the those ground-breaking games back in the seventies - they were intended as tool kits for us to bolt on whatever our imaginations could come up with. However, these games then evolved into what they are today out of consumer demand for "show us the True Way!", and thus we now have these artificial divisions in gaming culture such as Old vs New School. Find your jam and roll with it has always been the message! Sorry 'bout the long winded comment, but you struck a chord! Great content, BTW. Keep it coming! Only 357 subscribers? Allow me to make that 358 and here's to 358K .
@@ToddRoe hey Todd, I love long comments especially if I’ve struck a chord it means I’m doing it right, welcome! And keep em coming, love you sharing your thoughts on this. That’s a very wise outlook. It’s one I hope others will understand (it sure applies to a lot beyond gaming too!)
I had a VERY similar experience and the OSR saved the hobby for me. Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea and Dungeon Crawl Classics have become incredibly important to me and I recommend them to everyone.
And so how long have you been a motivational speaker? You're good at it. The OGL fiasco really turned me on to the full world of TTRPGs and I'm increasingly interested in creative solo play too
@@andrewmitchell2278 thanks Andrew that’s really kind of you, I appreciate it. Solo play is great because not only is it super fun, it builds those creative skills that translate over to group play too, my group games as a player and gm skills have gotten stronger from it! Glad you’re broadening the games you enjoy, there’s so much incredible stuff out there!
While I'm... Fine... with playing WotC era D&D and direct descendents of it - I enjoy that style of game, but it never excites me enough to seek them out beyond playing them with friends, while with what little experience I have with OSR games it's definitely closer to what I enjoy about TTRPGs than e.g. PF2e. And I'm saying that as someone who enjoys PF2e. My pivot to solo play was when realizing that was an option as someone who just... Wasn't able to find a group and dfrited out of the hobby due to that, getting back into the hobby via someone inviting me to play a MotW one shot (A PbtA based on modern day monster-hunting media such as Buffy or Supernatural) a couple of years ago and then wound up not being able to find groups again and stumbled into solo from that direction. I'm back into group games now, and getting them more consistently than I ever thought possible (Mostly one shots, a campaign I'm running, and various PbP games at the moment), but I was missing my solo play until I managed to start carving out time for it this past month as my main (hobby) writing project has been winding down because while I'd never say solo play is _better_ than group play, it does allow to explore story elements I wouldn't be comfortable exploring with a group, or even engaging in behaviours that would be disruptive to group play at most tables - I'm more willing to let my characters get into PvP with each other when I've got multiple than I am to engage in PvP in group play, for example, which I was missing.
@@Stephen-Fox I’ve found the “por que no los dos?” approach for solo and group play works great. I have a Mothership group game that I’m GMing and then am playing solo outside of that to try different game systems, solo tools and methods.
I really like World of Dungeons. It is a minimalistic hybrid of PbtA games and OSR. Harper created it as a joke stretch goal for Dungeon World, but for many people, including me, it really took off. There is a plethora of hacks. Streets of Markenburg is my favorite. On the other hand, I sometimes struggle to solo play games that are not originally designed for solo play, even if I really want to. At this moment, I am playing Thousand Year-Old Vampire. When I finish, I will publish my journal on Substack.
I've seen that one on itch! Going to add it to my list of stuff to check out (it grows ever bigger). Thanks Martin, always great to hear from you. Hopefully I can make more videos to help show different tools and techniques for games that are not solo first.
Really feel the OSR is the future of this hobby no question about it, wotc dnd isnt dnd and theirs no future in it, yes its going to take some time but the hobby is turning towards the OSR and the pure creative , adaptable fun that is this game.
The difference for me really felt like night and day truly. And people recognizing the secret sauce and putting it back in their games is going to reignite ttrpgs for many others I think.
My journey is a little different. I actually quite like D&D, I mostly learned 2nd edition in the 90's through computer RPGs, then in the early 2000's they all switched to 3E. I played a few times but not often. The 5e craze came out and I played some, but really 2nd ed is much better, but 5e works in a pinch with a good table. I also realized you can do anything you can in 5e in 2nd ed and pretty much any other system. You can have your players roll on Wisdom to track things of find traps, or roll Charisma to impress people, you can even bring in new spells and things, you don't have to have a separate skill for anything, just roll your most applicable stat. I agree 5e is really bloated, and offers a lot to keep track of. Pathfinder is a nightmare, just too many combat rules for me, combat takes for ever at a table. The reason I got into OSR is I really am at an age most my friends are too busy with families, I don't have a lot in common with young players, and it's hard to find a good group to meet up, every so often, so I ran across people playing solo and thought this might be the solution. My first try was take what I know, get some random generators and use that to run some 5e, with the hope of mastering it and moving 2nd ed. That was a nightmare, 5e is so bloated that you just end up in your own head, you finish a battle controlling both sides, and you quickly lose motivation to play more. It did not help I was running a 4 character party, which added a lot to control. So I had to find a way to streamline things more, and found out that not only did OSR offer simpler rules but many of the things I liked about 2nd ed was because of how close it still was to the original systems. There are still a lot of supplements in 2nd ed, and you can get really deep fast, and the core rules are still much larger than they need to be, but it still had that feel of an old school game. But, for me, OSR really strips down 2nd ed, without losing much of what makes it great. To the point that I can focus on the game, and building out the adventure and not burning out on combat, even if I play a party. I just keep the characters a little less fleshed out than a solo character, use side initiative and can roll several d20's at once to see who hits, which really speeds up the combat. OSR I think can be really great at any table and can be adapted to most anything 5e players are used to, and it might be easier for new players to learn, as long as you push them to think about what they want to do and let the GM worry about the mechanics of it. But for playing solo, the OSR are necessity, and even then you might want to strip them down more. I think the only reason to play 5e is that what others play, and what I knew best, because that's what people wanted to play.
Hey, thanks for sharing your experience with me. I have heard very strong praise for 2e come from many. May I ask if you are playing any specific OSR retroclones like Gold & Glory (for 2e) or other OSR games?
@@the-quantum-quill I have been using mostly a modified version of Basic Fantasy, where I allow races and class combinations from 2e, as well as a few other systems I like from 2e. I have thought about getting into a more sci/fy setting and using either Starships and Spacemen or Ironsworn Starforged, but I think Ironsworn is more a solo oriented, but not OSR.
@@colmortimer1066 Ah okay, neat. Yes Starforged is good for solo sci-fi I recommend but it is a very different style of game being pbta. Check out "the Bad Spot" series for a good example of play. I really enjoy Mothership for Sci Fi that leans more OSR in its style but I have not played that solo, only in group play. Stars Without Number is also a good one to check out. I cannot speak for Traveller having not played but I know many love it and play it solo. You can check out the solo RPG channel "Rolling Stag" for that :)
@@the-quantum-quill I'll look into the systems you mentioned. I have been looking at the For Gold and Glory book that your mentioned last comment, since the .pdf was free on DrivethruRPG. It does look very faithful to 2e. If I found a willing group I'd even try to run it over 2nd ed, but for solo, at least at my skill level now, it's a bit rules heavy. I think lighter rules are best just to keep the game moving, as once you slow down to look up rules it really get taxing. I believe it was your first video for Shadow Dark you said at the end you were getting tried that playing solo can be more draining, or something to that effect. Heavy rulesets really add to that drain.
@@the-quantum-quill I could have swore I answered this last comment. But I'll check out the systems and channels you mentioned. I also looked at the For Gold and Glory rule book and it seems very faithful to 2nd ed. And while I might run it for a group over 2nd edition, I think it is too complex for solo play. Solo can be very draining if you get bogged down with complex rules.
This sounds interesting but what I miss in this video is more of an explanation on what makes OSR different. I thought it just meant simpler rules, black & white illustrations, graph paper instead of battlemaps and minis, and more of an emphasis on dungeon crawling. Is there something else I'm missing? It sounds like there has to be something more.
Great question and you are correct, I didn't really explain it in my own words in this one. There is more to old school gaming than meets the eye initially. I'll create a video for this in the future. The old school primer does an excellent job explaining the vibes and philosophy behind the differences. The channel Questing Beast also has really good explanations.
So glad I came across your channel. Your passion is much like my own when it comes to TTRPGs and a self journey, and creativity.
I learned about Solo TTRPGs this year while recovering from a major surgery. I wasn't just stuck in bed. I was moving to a valley and farming, or being a ronin wandering for revenge, and the dramas those unfolded. It allowed me to be creative in a way I missed. And when I recovered it then let me be creative with my art. It didn't have to be great, it just had to exist. And that whispers to experience to my other games I run/game in with others.
Sometimes, maybe its good to just check in with yourself.
I'm glad you found it! :) And I love your sharing of your own experiences about creativity, expression and self-care. "It doesn't have to be great, it just has to exist". Pinned!
I got into soloing specifically because my friends are stuck on WotC D&D e5. There's just so much more out there! Learning the corebooks and systems, it's just as fun to me as writing characters and engaging with those systems in a player sense. The stale feeling isn't there for me anymore
I've come full circle myself. I started with B/X, and played and (mostly) ran everything from there to 5e. I played numerous other ttrpg's as well. Now, I find myself enjoying the original stuff far more than the most recent stuff. As a result, I now run OSE and find it far more enjoyable for me as a DM.
@@sebastianstark8517 rock on 🤘. I enjoy trying all the things but I keep coming back the rules lite systems as being the most enjoyable for me
Some of the things you said hit me pretty hard. Especially the part about this sense of possibility - games nowadays tend to restrict their players with elaborate rulesets that govern what is and what isn't possible within the environment of the game. OSR games have none of that. It's either "use the logic of fiction" or "come up with the ruling on the fly". And this is so, so liberating!
I know now I'm going to enjoy your content. Your style of presentation is very approachable, and you have many interesting things to say.
@@GoodRogue thank you such a kind comment. I’m glad you like the style, I plan to do many more, hopefully soon!
This was a really good video! Reminded me of when I got into RPGs back in the 80's with D&D Basic. My fondest memories are of D&D 2nd edition. I have really tried to get into D&D 5th edition, and I have not been successful, and it may be the same reason as yours. I've been researching OSE and even Shadowdark trying to pick something to play solo. I am unfortunately having a tough time deciding - I guess its fear of making a bad choice. I am also working on my own solo TTRPG (that will include group play as well), but it's not an easy task. Keep up the great work on the channel!
@@lotharen hey Lotharen, thanks for sharing. Trust yourself and go with what seems like the best choice! I really like OSE, it’s b/x cleaned up
Such a great heartfelt and passionate video! This was very inspiring! I've subscribed! 👏😺
@@boardgameswithb7 thank you for your kind words and support, I appreciate it!
What a great thoughtful and heartfelt video. Having been playing, mostly DM'ing since the late 80's, I've felt everything you expressed. Happily, I still have a 25+ year 2E campaign still running. It often takes too long for people to realize that the only way to play the game is the way you and your players want...
@@steved1135 💯 on finding the right way for you and your players. Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. It makes me happy to hear that 2E is alive and well for you guys!
Can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Thought I was “outgrowing” D&D because I was getting so tired of 5e, turns out OSR is exactly what the game needs
@@colenicholson96 welcome to the party Cole. It’s just getting started.
Exactly! The minute I started playing other systems, it came back alive for me,
I played my first session of D&D in 1979, yet I'm remembering that feeling as if it were yesterday at the moment. Thanks for that, and keep up the great content. :)
Just watched and really enjoyed your solo rpg journey video. This one also seems really interesting but the music makes my brain hurt while listening to you that I can't listen to this one. Especially when the music gets more intense at times. I'm aware I'm in a relatively small group of people with such sensitivities but I wanted to let you know. I'm any case seems like an intriguing video and I put in the like and will check out more of your videos. Thanks!
@@paavohirn3728 hey thanks for letting me know. Music sometimes can be a bit much for these kinds of things. I’ll consider doing some future videos with just dialogue.
@@the-quantum-quill Thanks! I know it can be a tricky thing. I know some can't handle any music in the background, I can usually handle it but for me I think it's a volume and intensity thing. I really like the style of presentation otherwise. I hope this was helpful!
Thanks for the video, this was the inspiration I was looking for, greetings from Mexico!!!!!!
@@SuperUltrachan I am very glad it helped, thank you!
@@the-quantum-quill Thanks bro!!!!
Great video, spot on. I'm a Gen-X Olde Schoole RP'er, and that's how I've always enjoyed role-playing. However, I also recognize that there is no "One True Way" to play. As you say, the possibilities are limitless. Ironically, this was the in-built intent of the those ground-breaking games back in the seventies - they were intended as tool kits for us to bolt on whatever our imaginations could come up with. However, these games then evolved into what they are today out of consumer demand for "show us the True Way!", and thus we now have these artificial divisions in gaming culture such as Old vs New School. Find your jam and roll with it has always been the message!
Sorry 'bout the long winded comment, but you struck a chord!
Great content, BTW. Keep it coming! Only 357 subscribers? Allow me to make that 358 and here's to 358K .
@@ToddRoe hey Todd, I love long comments especially if I’ve struck a chord it means I’m doing it right, welcome! And keep em coming, love you sharing your thoughts on this. That’s a very wise outlook. It’s one I hope others will understand (it sure applies to a lot beyond gaming too!)
I had a VERY similar experience and the OSR saved the hobby for me.
Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea and Dungeon Crawl Classics have become incredibly important to me and I recommend them to everyone.
And so how long have you been a motivational speaker? You're good at it. The OGL fiasco really turned me on to the full world of TTRPGs and I'm increasingly interested in creative solo play too
@@andrewmitchell2278 thanks Andrew that’s really kind of you, I appreciate it. Solo play is great because not only is it super fun, it builds those creative skills that translate over to group play too, my group games as a player and gm skills have gotten stronger from it! Glad you’re broadening the games you enjoy, there’s so much incredible stuff out there!
While I'm... Fine... with playing WotC era D&D and direct descendents of it - I enjoy that style of game, but it never excites me enough to seek them out beyond playing them with friends, while with what little experience I have with OSR games it's definitely closer to what I enjoy about TTRPGs than e.g. PF2e. And I'm saying that as someone who enjoys PF2e. My pivot to solo play was when realizing that was an option as someone who just... Wasn't able to find a group and dfrited out of the hobby due to that, getting back into the hobby via someone inviting me to play a MotW one shot (A PbtA based on modern day monster-hunting media such as Buffy or Supernatural) a couple of years ago and then wound up not being able to find groups again and stumbled into solo from that direction.
I'm back into group games now, and getting them more consistently than I ever thought possible (Mostly one shots, a campaign I'm running, and various PbP games at the moment), but I was missing my solo play until I managed to start carving out time for it this past month as my main (hobby) writing project has been winding down because while I'd never say solo play is _better_ than group play, it does allow to explore story elements I wouldn't be comfortable exploring with a group, or even engaging in behaviours that would be disruptive to group play at most tables - I'm more willing to let my characters get into PvP with each other when I've got multiple than I am to engage in PvP in group play, for example, which I was missing.
@@Stephen-Fox I’ve found the “por que no los dos?” approach for solo and group play works great. I have a Mothership group game that I’m GMing and then am playing solo outside of that to try different game systems, solo tools and methods.
I really like World of Dungeons. It is a minimalistic hybrid of PbtA games and OSR. Harper created it as a joke stretch goal for Dungeon World, but for many people, including me, it really took off. There is a plethora of hacks. Streets of Markenburg is my favorite. On the other hand, I sometimes struggle to solo play games that are not originally designed for solo play, even if I really want to. At this moment, I am playing Thousand Year-Old Vampire. When I finish, I will publish my journal on Substack.
I've seen that one on itch! Going to add it to my list of stuff to check out (it grows ever bigger). Thanks Martin, always great to hear from you.
Hopefully I can make more videos to help show different tools and techniques for games that are not solo first.
@@the-quantum-quill that would be helpful!
Really feel the OSR is the future of this hobby no question about it, wotc dnd isnt dnd and theirs no future in it, yes its going to take some time but the hobby is turning towards the OSR and the pure creative , adaptable fun that is this game.
The difference for me really felt like night and day truly. And people recognizing the secret sauce and putting it back in their games is going to reignite ttrpgs for many others I think.
My journey is a little different. I actually quite like D&D, I mostly learned 2nd edition in the 90's through computer RPGs, then in the early 2000's they all switched to 3E. I played a few times but not often. The 5e craze came out and I played some, but really 2nd ed is much better, but 5e works in a pinch with a good table. I also realized you can do anything you can in 5e in 2nd ed and pretty much any other system. You can have your players roll on Wisdom to track things of find traps, or roll Charisma to impress people, you can even bring in new spells and things, you don't have to have a separate skill for anything, just roll your most applicable stat. I agree 5e is really bloated, and offers a lot to keep track of. Pathfinder is a nightmare, just too many combat rules for me, combat takes for ever at a table.
The reason I got into OSR is I really am at an age most my friends are too busy with families, I don't have a lot in common with young players, and it's hard to find a good group to meet up, every so often, so I ran across people playing solo and thought this might be the solution. My first try was take what I know, get some random generators and use that to run some 5e, with the hope of mastering it and moving 2nd ed. That was a nightmare, 5e is so bloated that you just end up in your own head, you finish a battle controlling both sides, and you quickly lose motivation to play more. It did not help I was running a 4 character party, which added a lot to control.
So I had to find a way to streamline things more, and found out that not only did OSR offer simpler rules but many of the things I liked about 2nd ed was because of how close it still was to the original systems. There are still a lot of supplements in 2nd ed, and you can get really deep fast, and the core rules are still much larger than they need to be, but it still had that feel of an old school game. But, for me, OSR really strips down 2nd ed, without losing much of what makes it great. To the point that I can focus on the game, and building out the adventure and not burning out on combat, even if I play a party. I just keep the characters a little less fleshed out than a solo character, use side initiative and can roll several d20's at once to see who hits, which really speeds up the combat.
OSR I think can be really great at any table and can be adapted to most anything 5e players are used to, and it might be easier for new players to learn, as long as you push them to think about what they want to do and let the GM worry about the mechanics of it. But for playing solo, the OSR are necessity, and even then you might want to strip them down more. I think the only reason to play 5e is that what others play, and what I knew best, because that's what people wanted to play.
Hey, thanks for sharing your experience with me. I have heard very strong praise for 2e come from many. May I ask if you are playing any specific OSR retroclones like Gold & Glory (for 2e) or other OSR games?
@@the-quantum-quill I have been using mostly a modified version of Basic Fantasy, where I allow races and class combinations from 2e, as well as a few other systems I like from 2e.
I have thought about getting into a more sci/fy setting and using either Starships and Spacemen or Ironsworn Starforged, but I think Ironsworn is more a solo oriented, but not OSR.
@@colmortimer1066 Ah okay, neat. Yes Starforged is good for solo sci-fi I recommend but it is a very different style of game being pbta. Check out "the Bad Spot" series for a good example of play.
I really enjoy Mothership for Sci Fi that leans more OSR in its style but I have not played that solo, only in group play. Stars Without Number is also a good one to check out.
I cannot speak for Traveller having not played but I know many love it and play it solo. You can check out the solo RPG channel "Rolling Stag" for that :)
@@the-quantum-quill I'll look into the systems you mentioned.
I have been looking at the For Gold and Glory book that your mentioned last comment, since the .pdf was free on DrivethruRPG. It does look very faithful to 2e. If I found a willing group I'd even try to run it over 2nd ed, but for solo, at least at my skill level now, it's a bit rules heavy.
I think lighter rules are best just to keep the game moving, as once you slow down to look up rules it really get taxing. I believe it was your first video for Shadow Dark you said at the end you were getting tried that playing solo can be more draining, or something to that effect. Heavy rulesets really add to that drain.
@@the-quantum-quill I could have swore I answered this last comment. But I'll check out the systems and channels you mentioned.
I also looked at the For Gold and Glory rule book and it seems very faithful to 2nd ed. And while I might run it for a group over 2nd edition, I think it is too complex for solo play. Solo can be very draining if you get bogged down with complex rules.
This sounds interesting but what I miss in this video is more of an explanation on what makes OSR different. I thought it just meant simpler rules, black & white illustrations, graph paper instead of battlemaps and minis, and more of an emphasis on dungeon crawling. Is there something else I'm missing? It sounds like there has to be something more.
Great question and you are correct, I didn't really explain it in my own words in this one. There is more to old school gaming than meets the eye initially. I'll create a video for this in the future. The old school primer does an excellent job explaining the vibes and philosophy behind the differences. The channel Questing Beast also has really good explanations.